Transformation Mask of the Kwakwaka’wakw people
Dublin Core
Title
Transformation Mask of the Kwakwaka’wakw people
Subject
British Columbia
Indigenous peoples
Mask
Tsaxis
Vancouver Island
Kwawitl
Ethnology
19th century
Indigenous peoples
Mask
Tsaxis
Vancouver Island
Kwawitl
Ethnology
19th century
Description
The object is a Transformation Mask from the Kwakwaka’wakw people. These masks were worn by dancers during ceremonies, they pull strings to open and move the mask, animating it. The mask can be opened and closed to reveal a mythical being or an animal. In 1881, Canada established the Kwawkewlth Indian Agency at Fort Rupert, the same year that the first wave of ethnology collecting began with the arrival of J. A. Jacobsen. These masks are representative of the belief among the Kwakwaka’wakw that their deceased ancestors roamed the world, transforming themselves in the process, which may entail the removal of their animal skins or masks to reveal their human selves within.
Creator
Berlin Museum of Ethnology, Collected at Tsaxis
Publisher
First Nations: Land Rights and Environmentalism in British Columbia
http://www.firstnations.de/fisheries/kwakwakawakw-kwakiutl.htm
http://www.firstnations.de/fisheries/kwakwakawakw-kwakiutl.htm
Date
1881
Contributor
David Cook
Rights
Berlin Museum of Ethnology
http://www.smb.museum/en/museums-institutions/ethnologisches-museum/home.html
http://www.smb.museum/en/museums-institutions/ethnologisches-museum/home.html
Language
N/A
Type
Object - Mask
Identifier
19th century British Columbia
Files
Collection
Citation
Berlin Museum of Ethnology, Collected at Tsaxis, “Transformation Mask of the Kwakwaka’wakw people,” The American Pacific Rim: Colonisation, Conflict and Connections, 1800-Present, accessed May 14, 2024, https://theamericanpacificrim.omeka.net/items/show/11.